The Bonds that Tie
by Naito Tenshi
Summary: Spoilers Galore; The bonds of family are the deepest imaginable. So what do you do when you're in the middle of your family's war? (Just getting started, it's slow so far. Sorry, it'll pick up soon!!)
1. One

Author's Notes;

            Well, let me begin by saying that I am extremely sorry. Trigun offspring usually aren't my cup of tea, either, but this idea has planted itself in my head and I absolutely, positively must do it. I write things for myself, not for other people. Sorry. ^_^

            However, if you're willing to keep an open mind, then go right ahead and read, and maybe you'll even find yourself enjoying it…? No, not likely. It's one of my stories, so with or without offspring, it's not going to be very good.

            Still, sit back and enjoy.

            And, let me just say this now… much to my dismay, I do not own Trigun. I do not own Vash the Stampede, Meryl Strife, Milly Thompson, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Legato Bluesummers, Millions Knives or any other Trigun characters. I do, however, own Rinzei and Rinaza.

            While this story does have Trigun offspring, this story does not have mysterious resurrections. I know, I know, I love Bokushi-san, too…

            And, without further ado, let us begin this torturous session so you can get this over with and return to your life. I'm sorry to waste your time with my nonsensical babblings.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        One (1) Naito Tenshi

The Bonds that Tie

By Naito Tenshi

Chapter 1-

            The tanned lids yawned open, and bold, bright blue eyes stared up at the ceiling. The ceiling was entirely unfamiliar; a test of the limbs and the owner of those eyes found they would not move without a considerable amount of excruciatingly painful protest. Pale blonde hair lay in a mess on a flat, thin pillow.

            "Did that idiot  manage to hurt me this badly…?" furious, the inner monologue questioned. Despite the pain it caused, the blue-eyed blonde managed to force the body into a sitting position, head turning slowly and the sapphire depths scanning the darkened room, taking in the surroundings.

            The room was obviously in a hospital of some sort. Across from the bed that the injured plant sat in was a dresser, with a mirror on it, and a vase full of red geraniums. To the right of the dresser was a table and two chairs, one that was facing the bed, one that was facing the other way. Sitting in the latter, the blue eyes locked onto a familiar figure. The seated person was considerably similar in appearance to the observer, except that the hair was a bit longer and a few shades darker, the skin a few shades paler, and the eyes a different color.

            "Hey," the plant greeted the other plainly, "What'd you do to me?"

            The other turned to face the speaker, smiling widely, "Hey, you're awake!"

            "Yeah, I'm awake," a frown found its way onto the tanned face, "No thanks to you, apparently."

            A nervous giggle escaped the paler mirror, "Yeah, well… I didn't mean to hurt you that badly."

            The one in the bed scowled at the other, and then the door swung open. Standing there was a rather tall man, with spiked blonde hair, the same color as that of the seated plant, and green eyes.

            "Hey there!" he greeted cheerfully, "Glad to see you're awake!"

            The plant in the bed smiled at the sight of the man, her blue eyes squinting slightly from it, "Hi Uncle Vash."


	2. Two

Chapter 2-

            "Rina, you need to be more careful," Vash scolded the seated girl.

            She replied with a slight sigh, "Sorry, dad… it was an accident! I guess I'm just not the best at riding Thomases…"

            Vash chuckled, and gave an expression feigning thought, "I can't imagine where you would get something like that from."

            "Probably the same place she got her donut addiction from," teased the girl in the bed.

            Vash laughed and placed a hand on the back of his neck, "Rinz, I don't know what you're talking about!"

            "I'm sure you don't," replied the platinum blonde with a smirk.

-One Week Later-

            "Wait, Rinzei! I'm not ready yet!!"

            Rinzei stood by the bedroom door, arms crossed and foot tapping, her impatience as glaring as the twin suns in the sky.

            "Rinaza, if you don't hurry up, I'm going to leave you!" Rinzei called back after a moment's glowering, "You are not going to make me late for the first day of school again!"

            "Sorry, Rinz! I'll be just one minute, okay!?" came back a whining voice.

            Rinzei sighed with aggravation, and made her way into the kitchen to get a drink while she waited. Vash and Meryl were seated at the table, Vash happily munching on a donut and Meryl sipping coffee. When Rinzei came stalking in, Meryl looked up and blinked at the girl.

            "Rinzei, shouldn't you be leaving for school?"

            Meryl was nagging her; that was something new. Rinzei sighed.

            "Yes, Aunt Meryl, I should be, and I know that… but maybe you should tell that to your daughter," was the reply that Rinzei provided.

            Meryl sighed and shook her head, then rose from the table as Rinzei took the liberty of pouring herself a glass of juice. Vash finished his donut and took a swallow from a glass of water that sat next to him, and then found he was watching Rinzei as he so often did. He really couldn't help it; she just looked so much like her father. His hair, eye and skin colors weren't the only things she had inherited; she had his nose, and the shape of his face - though more feminine, it was definitely similar - and his build. Of course, he could say the same of Rinaza's resemblance to himself, except for the color of her eyes that she had taken from Meryl, and her height. She had taken to the human side of the family in that area.

            In the time that he had been watching after his brother's daughter - nearly her whole life - he had kept a close eye on her personality, each quirk and habit carefully noted. He had to make sure that her appearance was where the similarity ended. However, he found that what he had hoped was not the case. She was every bit as intelligent as her father, and though she really was a kind, caring girl, she had a short fuse and, when angered, could be considered potentially dangerous. Luckily, though, she had taken just fine to her human aunt and half-human cousin, as well as the rest of the humans. He supposed that difference could have something to do with not being beaten by them.

            "…Uncle Vash?"

            He snapped out of his thoughts, and smiled at his niece. She was blinking at him, puzzled. He'd been staring at her oddly again… it was something he did an awful lot, and it made her extremely tense. But now that the usual cheerful smile had found its way back onto his face, she felt her muscles relax. Before either could speak again, Rinaza was being dragged into the kitchen by her mother and ushered over to her cousin's side. The girls exchanged looks, Rinzei's a little glare of impatience, and Rinaza's a goofily apologetic and embarrassed smile.

            "All right, now you two get on your way before you're _really late!" Meryl ordered, "And Rina, when you get home, you be ready for a serious talk about responsibility!"_

            Rinaza cringed at the idea, and her father mirrored the action from the table; great, a lecture. That meant he'd have to be present for it, too. He wondered if maybe he could weasel his way out of it. Across the room, his daughter was wondering the same thing as she followed an irate Rinzei out the side door of their corner home.

            Rinaza strolled happily alongside Rinzei, who was nearly stomping as she made her way down the pathway. In fact, she was so busy watching her feet, making sure that she was stomping nice and noticeably for her cousin, that she nearly stomped her way right into the visitor that was humming her merry way up the walk. She probably would have, too, if it weren't for Rina cheerfully greeting the visitor.

            "Hello!!" Rina smiled brightly at the brown-haired, blue-eyed woman.

            "Hello, Rina!" replied the woman happily, then turned to the other, much more annoyed-appearing girl, "Hello, Rinz!"

            "Hi Milly," Rinzei muttered.

            Milly blinked and knelt to Rinzei, though she didn't have to kneel very far. Rinzei was tall for a girl, a half a head taller than her cousin, but still not up at Milly's level. And, considering that she'd been fully grown for some time now, she was pretty sure that was how things would stay until the human got old and began shrinking.

            "Is something the matter?" asked Milly, concernedly.

            "Not anything new," Rinzei replied, a sideways glance spared to Rinaza, "Rina's just making us late for school again, and it's the first day of senior year."

            Rina giggled nervously, then nodded and said, "Yeah, Rinzei's right… we should probably get going."

            "Oh no," Milly replied, "Well, you two be on your way then! You can't be late for the first day!"

            Rinzei nodded with a small smile, "My thoughts exactly," and turned expectantly to Rinaza, "Let's get going."

            Rinaza grinned at her cousin, and then turned back to Milly, "See you later, Milly!"

            "Bye, Milly!" chimed in Rinzei as the two headed off again.

            Milly waved after the girls, "Bye, girls! You have a good day at school now!"

-----

            Rinzei walked slowly down the hallway to the first class after lunch, by herself. To her general dismay, she found that the only class she had with her cousin was English. She wasn't surprised; Rinzei was taking mostly advanced placement courses and while she knew her cousin was smart, probably as smart as herself, she also knew Rina just didn't like applying herself. No matter how much Aunt Meryl tried to get her to do so, Rina just seemed to think homework wasn't worth her attention; cute boys, food and any sort of game, however, most certainly were. Rinz allowed herself a little smirk as she thought of her cousin. She was still uneasy being alone, as she was whenever she was in the crowded school without her cousin. It could be that she felt she didn't fit in. Of course she didn't - she wasn't human. It made sense. And then there was the age difference. According to human ages, Rinzei and Rinaza both belonged in elementary school.

            Rinaza was a few years older, but, oddly enough, the human-plant hybrid seemed to find a balance between the aging processes of both species, so that the cousins now appeared to be the same age. But, even with appearances aside, they were both far above the mental level of the human age their bodies represented, so here they were, in high school.

            Rinzei's thoughts were interrupted by a group of guys approaching her. She groaned, recognizing them instantly. Bullies, of course, that had seen fit to make life difficult for her and her cousin based on their difference in species and… well… a few other points Rinzei didn't care to bring up.

            "Hey, freak girl!" one called to Rinzei. She narrowed a single eye, pulling one side of her mouth into a tooth-bearing sneer.

            "Where's the other creature?" another piped up.

            Now with her mouth pulled into a tight frown, Rinzei replied, narrowing her eyes, "My cousin is on her way to her class, and I am on my way to mine. Now, if you'll get the hell out of my way, I'd like to be going."

            The first laughed now, "What're you going to do? Blow me up?"

            Rinzei scowled at the first, but then a third chimed in, "Hey, maybe she'll get her genocidal psychopath father to kill us for her!"

            Now all three burst into laughter and walked away, leaving Rinzei alone, or so she thought. She stood there, completely still in the hallway. The anger had vanished from her face; her expression now was wounded, her eyebrows drawn together, her mouth turned down unhappily. Her eyes shone slightly, tears welling up in them. Silently, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses, slipping them over her eyes to hide the flow. They failed to hide the one tear that escaped her eye down her cheek, which she hastily brushed away with a finger. She then casually, silently stalked off towards her class.

            Across the hallway, a pair of green eyes watched her in silent concern. Vash stood there, in the doorway to the office, just behind where Rinzei had been confronted a few moments ago, after dropping off a book for Rinaza that the girl had forgotten. Now he stood, frozen, trying not to cry himself, and telling himself repeatedly that running after Rinzei and hugging her tightly in the middle of her high school was a bad idea.

            "That's not fair…" he whispered to himself, "It's not fair. Why should she have to suffer for his mistakes?"

            He shook his head sadly and then walked the other way down the hallway, towards the door. Neither of them noticed a pair of golden eyes that served as witness to the scene from a shadowed doorway.

            "So… that's the one, then," a cold voice muttered.


	3. Three

A few more notes.

            Hey there. Um, the first chapter is intended to fool readers at first, though I think it makes sense at the end…? I don't know, but in any case, the injured one was Rinzei, the one sitting in the room with her was Rinaza. And then Vash comes in, and then I thought it was clear. Rinzei was injured in a Rinaza-caused incident involving a Thomas… though I haven't figured out a lot about the girls yet, I do know that Rinzei gets inured in Rinaza-caused incidents too often for her own comfort.

            Additionally, whenever you see text between some ~~~~~ thingies, it is a flashback.

            Onward?

Chapter 3-

~~~~~

            Meryl angrily clenched the letter in her fist, the full meaning of the words settling in. Its words repeated in her head once more.

_Agents Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson,_

_            Thank you for your timely and extensive reports concerning the events involving Vash the Stampede. The purpose of the letter is to inform you that the content of your reports shall be summarized and published to be made available to the public. It is the belief of the company that it would do the public a great service to know the details behind incidents such as July and __Augusta__, as many have suffered losses as a result of the actions of Mr. Vash the Stampede and Mr. Millions Knives._

_            Your contributions will be noted in the publication._

            This was horrible. Sure, they had a point. People did deserve to know what happened, but at what cost to the family she was beginning? With this sort of thing as public information, how would that their lives be affected?

           When the information was published despite a protesting reply from Meryl, she did one thing that, a few years earlier, she would have deemed impossible; she wrote her resignation letter to the Bernadelli Insurance Society. Milly, of course, followed suit.

~~~~~

            Vash had been quiet since he'd come back from the school, quietly pondering the events of the past few years as Milly happily fixed tea for the two of them. Meryl was off at her job, working as assistant manager for the general store. After they'd moved to the town a few years ago, she'd become a cashier there, and her dedication quickly gained her promotions to the respectable position. Milly, on the other hand, at first found herself in odd jobs that didn't seem to last very long, but after a few months, decided to work at the local orphanage. Vash, of course, knew exactly why she made this choice, and to be honest, he almost cried when she told him she got this job. But she'd been successful at it, and found it rewarding work.

            'He would have been proud…' he found himself thinking about his friend again, as he so often did. But he quickly shook the thoughts from his head, knowing that Milly was not the person to get all emotional about this particular topic in front of. His thoughts returned to Rinzei, and the event he'd witnessed. He was worried about her, honestly, and his thoughts turned bitterly to the insurance company that had seen fit to make his life public knowledge.

            "Mr. Vash?" Milly interrupted his thoughts, and Vash looked up, smiling. But after years of that smile, the girl had learned to see through it, and she frowned. Seeing this, he allowed it to fade from his face with a sigh.

           "What's the matter?" Milly asked, sitting down across the table from him, placing a cup of tea in front of each of them.

            Vash looked down into the tea, slowly perching his fingertips on it, and spoke softly into the ginger-tinted liquid, "Rinzei..."

            Milly grew puzzled, "Rinzei? What's the matter with her?"

            He shook his head, "Nothing's wrong with _her, I just… I saw something happen when I went down to the school to bring that book for Rinaza…"_

            "What happened, Mr. Vash?" Milly leaned forward with concern, "Is she okay?"

            "I don't know…" Vash stated honestly, "Physically, she's fine…" he allowed himself a little smirk now, "if not still a little bruised up after the incident with the Thomas."

            Every trace of a smile disappeared as he continued on, "But there were these guys talking to her in the school, and the things that they said…"

            An inquisitive tinge mingled on Milly's face with the concerned expression, "What… what did they say to her?"

            Vash looked up at Milly, his expression hurt, "They said… they called her a freak, and then they called Rina a creature, and… they said some things about Knives."

            "What did they say about Mr. Knives?"

            "They said…" Vash's gaze returned to the tea, "They were making fun of her. She was asking them to leave her alone, and they asked if she was going to get her 'genocidal psychopath father' to kill them for her…"

            Milly's expression fell, "Oh, that's awful! She must be so upset…"

            "I don't know what to do," Vash muttered, "She's never really been happy and I can't blame her with her past." A pause ensued, and Vash switched topics slightly, "You know, at first Knives really seemed to be doing better. Sure, he wasn't hugging every human he met, but he didn't try to kill them all, either. And he really did seem happy when he was with her mother, and he found a way for her to live outside the bulb and everything. But then when it all went wrong… you know he blamed himself, and though he wouldn't admit it to any of us or to himself, he blamed Rinzei. He wouldn't even look at her for the last few weeks he was here after it happened. And then… just like that, he was gone. And here we were, suddenly, with both of them to take care of. I don't think I ever knew what I was doing."

            Milly frowned, "Of course you know what you're doing, Mr. Vash! You're a great father and a great uncle! Those girls love you, and you treat them very well!"

            Vash smiled slightly, looking up at the other again, "Thanks, Milly…"

            Milly smiled, nodding, and then glanced down at his untouched beverage, announcing firmly, "You should drink your tea, Mr. Vash, or it's going to get cold!"

            Vash laughed and picked up the cup, "Yes, of course, ma'am!" He downed it quickly, and then released a happily refreshed breath.

            At that moment, Rinzei came through the door, alone. She looked perfectly normal, any trace of emotional suffering clearly gone from her face. It was blank, as she always made sure it was; she didn't like to let people know if she was upset. She thought it made her seem weak somehow. She dropped her books on the counter and smiled at the occupants of the room.

            "Hi Milly! Hi Uncle Vash!" she announced cheerfully.

            "Hey Rinzei," replied Vash.

            "Hi there, Rinzei!" Milly could not hide the concern on her face if he tried, "Are you doing all right?"

            Rinzei blinked, once… had she shown some trace of her emotional state? She reassumed her impassive demeanor.

            "Of course, Milly, I'm fine," she replied evenly. She walked to the refrigerator and removed the makings of a sandwich.

            "Rinz, where's Rina?" Vash asked, clearly puzzled.

            Rinzei chuckled as she made her sandwich, "I didn't think summer vacation was long enough for you to forget, Uncle Vash. She's in detention, of course. Like every other school day."

            Vash let out a slightly disappointed sigh, "What did she do this time?"

           "I don't know, really," Rinzei replied with a shrug, "Something about a fire in the science lab. It didn't sound too good. I swear, destruction follows that girl everywhere she goes."

            Rinzei grabbed her books and sandwich, and made her way into the living room to study.

            "Well…" Vash offered himself aloud, "At least now she won't be around for Meryl to lecture her."

            "And why is that?" asked a voice as its owner entered the room. There stood Meryl, placing some bags of groceries on the counter. Vash stood and made his way over, examining the contents of each bag thoroughly.

            "Well," he said as he foraged through it, finding mostly health food that he set aside after giving them disgusted faces, "She's got detention today."

            "What!?" Meryl's outraged response was just about what Vash was expecting, so he didn't jump… not too much, at least. "Detention already! And it's only the first day of school. What for?"

            "Rinzei said something about a fire in the lab or something," replied Vash, happily finding a box of cookies and walking out of the room with his prize. Meryl groaned at the visualization in her head, but shook it away.

            "When she does get home, I'm going to have to speak with her right away!" she announced, then turned to Milly, "Milly, do you think you could give me a hand with these groceries?"

            "Of course!" responded Milly brightly, walking over to join Meryl, and pointed out, "You know, Meryl, Rinaza sure is an awful lot like Mr. Vash."

            "I know, Milly…" Meryl said with a sigh, "And god, I love the man, but that poor girl…"

            Milly's only response was a slight giggle.


	4. Four

Author's Notes again! ^_^

            Heh, don't worry about the mix-up. I checked it over and didn't spot any "he's", but it's cool. I can see how the confusion would occur. And thanks to everybody for the reviews!!

            Funny thing, really… this story doesn't seem to be a serious project with me. It's just kind of what I do when I get bored and I'm too lazy and/or tired to work on one of my "real" stories. Though, to be honest, I think I'm starting to grow slightly attached to the characters. Silly me.

Chapter 4-

            "Furthermore, you have to learn to be a responsible and independent person! One day you will have to take care of yourself, and you're going to have to begin learning to do that now or you're going to find it very difficult when you're just thrust out into the world! Do I make myself clear!?"

            "Yes, mom…" Rinaza nearly groaned her reply. Meryl had seen fit to give her a half-hour long lecture after she finally made her way home. Vash was also present, of course, and tried to look as focused and stern as possible. But, to say the least, it was not very convincing. A short silence ensued as Meryl rubbed her temples in aggravation.

            "Can we have dinner now?" Rinaza asked hopefully.

            Meryl raised an eyebrow at her daughter, then sighed and replied, "Fine… yes, we can have dinner now."

            Rinaza grinned and made a beeline for the table, where Milly was humming cheerfully, putting out a platter of food that she'd helped Meryl prepare. Vash was next to make his entrance, followed by Meryl, who'd stopped off in the kitchen to get some glasses. Finally, Rinzei wandered in, carrying a stack of dishes that her aunt had asked her to bring in. After the table was set and everyone was seated, dinner began.

            "So, we know about how well Rina's first day went," Meryl stated meaningfully, resulting in a nervous grin from Rina, and turned to her niece, "How was yours, Rinzei?"

            "Oh…" Rinzei replied, eyes on a fork full of food she held before her, "It was just fine… all my classes are easy, so I should have no problems."

            Rinaza frowned at her cousin, "You never have problems with classes."

            "You wouldn't either," Rinzei muttered, "If you'd put in some effort."

            "Well," Rinaza retorted, "Some people have other things to do… I like having time for the more important things in life, like spending time with friends and being happy."

            Rinzei looked down at her plate again, "I haven't got any friends."

            Rinaza's face fell, and she then offered hopefully, "You've got me."

            "You're my cousin," Rinzei replied, "You don't count because you're like a built-in friend."

            "That's not true!" Rinaza protested, "I'd be your friend even if we weren't cousins! You're a nice, good person, Rinzei, you're just kind of shy. You should try to let people get to know you… then they'd see how great my cousin is."

            Rinzei gave a slight smile, "Thanks, Rina…" She then returned her attention to her food.

            Rinaza grinned and gave a happy little nod in response, then turned to Vash and asked, "Hey, dad? Do you think you can help me with my homework after dinner?"

            Vash paused, blinking, "Um… what subject is it in, Rina?"

            "Math…" Rina responded, then added thoughtfully, "Oh, and some English, too."

            Vash shrugged, "Well, I'll see what I can do."

            "Thanks dad!" Rina replied cheerfully, leaning over to hug Vash, "You're the greatest dad ever."

            Vash smiled at his daughter, a huge grin on his face, and returned her hug, "Aw, thanks Rina!"

            An abrupt scrape sounded, followed by the sound of receding footsteps. Rinaza looked up to discover that her cousin had left the table.

            "…Rinzei?" Rina rose to follow her cousin, but her father placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

            "Stay here, Rinaza," Vash spoke softly, then addressed the table in general, "I'll go talk to her."

            With that, Vash walked off towards the girls' bedroom as the others at the table watched him go. Rinaza sat there, blinking.

            "Mom, did I say something wrong?" she asked quietly.

            "No, sweetie," replied Meryl gently, "Rinzei's just had it kind of rough… It's not your fault."

            "I know…" Rina said, looking down, "But I should be more careful. It makes her feel bad to see me so happy with dad."

            "Now, Rina, don't you worry!" Milly piped up from the other end of the table, "Your cousin is upset, and that's understandable, but you love your father and you shouldn't worry about showing it. She's not upset with you, so don't you go feeling bad!"

            A smile came across Rina's face, "Right, thanks Milly."

            Meryl gave Milly a smile that communicated the same sentiment.

------------

            "Rinzei?" nearly cautious as he entered, Vash called his niece's name.

            "Yes, Uncle Vash?" came the soft reply. Her voice wavered as if she'd been crying, but as he entered, she saw that she was through with that. Her face was dry, though her eyes told the secret, and she sat on the edge of the bed, gazing out the window into the night sky.

            "I was just wondering if you were okay," he said, sitting next to her.

            "I'm fine," she responded evenly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

            Vash frowned, putting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "Rinzei, it's okay to be upset sometimes. Sometimes it takes more strength to admit it when you're sad than it does to hide it, you know."

            Rinzei looked down, her voice faltering slightly, "But I am fine… I just left the table because I was done… and I wasn't feeling well."

            Vash sighed, reaching his arm around both her shoulders now, "No, you're not fine. I can see that much for myself, Rinzei. You know, talking about things is sometimes the best way to make it hurt a little less. I learned that the hard way, but… you don't have to. I don't want you to."

            Rinzei let out a breath, then found her lip quivering against her will as tears returned to her eyes, and before long she found herself throwing her arms around her uncle and crying into his shoulder.

            "It's just… why did he have to leave me, Uncle Vash? Why didn't he stay here with us, or if he had to leave, why didn't he take me with him?" she nearly sobbed the words.

            Vash closed his eyes, wrapping both arms around the girl, "I can't answer that for you, Rinzei. What I do know is that he does love you… it just became so hard for him after your mother died. He never had it easy, and when it seemed as if he might find happiness, it was just taken away. He said he'd come back for you some day, you know."

            Rinzei calmed herself enough to reply, "I know that, Uncle Vash. You've always told me that, but… where is he, then? Why hasn't he come yet? How long am I going to be waiting here?"

            Vash frowned, "I don't know… but you know that you're welcome to stay here as long as it takes, Rinzei. We all love you and we all care about you."

            Rinzei nodded slightly, letting go and pulling back, her hands flopping into her lap. Vash kept his hands gently on her shoulders, smiling at her. She looked up and gave a tiny grin.

            "Thanks, Uncle Vash…" she replied, "That means a lot to me."

            "Rinz?" a meek voice asked from the doorway, "You okay?"

            Vash and Rinzei turned to see Rinaza there, concern writ across her features.

            "Yeah, Rina. I'm fine now." Rinzei smiled widely at her cousin, who returned the smile.

------------

            "Boy," Meryl muttered as she picked the dishes up off the table, stacking them slowly, "What an eventful night."

            "It sure was," Milly replied, "But at least everything's all worked out and resolved now, right?"

            "Right," Meryl responded with a smile.

            At the table, Vash and Rinaza had just finished working on her assignments, and Rinaza let out an audible yawn as she closed her book. Vash chuckled.

            "I think maybe you'd better get some sleep, Rina," he stated teasingly. 

            The girl smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Right dad… goodnight!"

            Vash returned her smile and gave her a gentle hug, "Goodnight, Rinaza."

            Rinaza rose from the table, calling as she passed the kitchen door, "Night, mom! Night, Milly!"

            "Goodnight, Rinaza," Meryl called back.

            "Night, Rina!" Milly cheerfully announced.

            Rinaza gave another yawn and headed for the bedroom, slipping in quietly. Rinzei had gone to sleep a short while earlier, so she made her way to her bed as stealthily as she could manage, slipping under the blanket and curling up on her side. As she drifted off to sleep, she heard the door shut as Milly left.

            The next sound she heard was soft conversation. She opened her eyes slowly, the first thing she saw being Rinzei's sleeping form. Was she up before her for once? No… when she became a bit more aware, she noticed that it was still dark out. Still night… she slowly pulled the blankets back and put her feet down on the wooden floorboards. They creaked slightly under the weight, and then gave a relieved version of the sound as she stepped off them and towards the door. 

            She crept down the staircase, and it made sounds similar to the ones the floor in her room had. As she did, the conversation quieted slightly. Once she was down far enough to see into the living room, which sat at the bottom of the stairs, she saw Vash sitting on the sofa. Next to him was a familiar figure, and though she knew she recognized the man, she couldn't place him at first. But, after a few moments, the realization struck as she took note of his eye and hair color, and his resemblance to her father.

            "Uncle Knives…" the girl uttered.

            "Ah, so this must be the half-breed," Knives remarked, "My, she's grown since I've seen her... it has certainly taken her long enough. Human genetics… it really is a good thing they're recessive."

            Rinaza reached the bottom of the stairs and stood, blinking. She was pretty sure she'd just been insulted, but she wasn't about to make a big deal out of it. The little frown Vash was giving his brother seemed like enough to her. But Knives studied her for a few moments, and then spoke again.

            "Really, though, she's not a tall one, is she? I suppose that's what you get for letting human blood in…"

            "Knives…" Vash's tone was low and warning.

           But Knives was through insulting the girl, and was now shaking his head sadly, "It really is a shame… poor thing. But, it's not a total loss. Seeing as plant genes are so much stronger and more dominant than human genes, she's still got a formidable store of energy and strength. That much I can feel for myself. And I'm quite certain that she has the ability-"

            "That's enough, Knives," Vash interrupted, cutting his brother off before the sentence was completed, "I thought you were through with things like that."

            "Merely speculation, brother," the other replied with a small smile, "I don't care much for the mass human genocide thing these days."

            "Good," the response was low and firm, and Vash's narrowed eyes accentuated it.

            "Anyway, Vash," Knives' tone was now dramatically changed, and he sounded almost like a normal person, "Where would I find my daughter now?"

            "Rinzei's asleep upstairs right now," Rinaza voiced quietly.

            "I see," the tone was somewhat disappointed.

            "Well," Vash started up, now cheerful and smiling widely at his brother, "You can see her first thing in the morning! For now, though, why don't we get you settled in the guest room?"

            "Sure," Knives gave a slight shrug of the shoulders as he responded.

            "Great!" Vash rose and lifted Knives' bag, giving his brother a second to follow, and, carrying the bag, led him down a hallway, "You know you're welcome to stay as long as you want, Knives. It would really make us happy, especially Rinzei! I bet she'll be really excited to see you when she wakes up tomorrow! She's really missed you, you know! Though, I have, too…"

            "Yeah, I missed you too, Vash," the other didn't speak with as much enthusiasm, but his words were obviously heartfelt even if they weren't half-screeched.

            Rinaza looked after them for a moment. She slowly walked over to the sofa and sat down, waiting silently in the dark room for her father to return. After a few minutes, he reentered sans Knives.

            "Is something up, Rina?" Vash blinked at his daughter on the couch.

            "Not really," she said softly, "It's just… I don't know if I really like Uncle Knives very much…"

            Vash gave a tiny smile, and sat down next to Rinaza, putting an arm around her, "Don't worry, I know he seems a little… odd, but… he's really not such a bad guy deep down. And he really means a lot to me… it would make me happier than anything to have all of us be one, big, happy family…"

            Rinaza smiled back at her father, "Yeah… that would be nice…"

            In return, Vash gave her a small nod and spoke firmly but kindly, "Now get back to bed. You've got to get up for school tomorrow, you know."

            "I know…" the girl rose from the sofa and headed towards the stairs with a yawn, "Goodnight, dad…"

            "Goodnight, Rina…"


End file.
